living in 16th century england

Chapter 29 The Writhing Stupid Donkey

Matthew smiled: "You should trust my ship and my cannon... Now, our speed seems to be a little bit faster than them..."

His voice was full of delusion: "Do you want to legally... rob pirates?"

No matter what era, mobility is always the magic weapon for victory.Although he doesn't understand naval warfare in this era, his common sense is the same.

Is...legal...robbing pirates?
The pirate captain suddenly felt that the boss was too much for him: "Hahaha, my baron... as long as you say it is legal, it must be legal. Don't worry, I have seen the ship before, but I haven't tried the gun yet... …about 800 feet now…”

Matthew smiled and said, "No problem at all, it would be better if it could be closer...don't waste time."

The pirate captain immediately shouted: "Call me!"

Suddenly two cannons rang out.

Franc machine ammunition is not limited to grape bullets.You can think of it as a large shotgun that fires 2" "slugs".

This kind of artillery generally weighs less than 500 kilograms and requires a special bracket. The focus of the bracket seems to be on the ship's side and deck, but in fact it is on the hull structure below the deck.

As long as it is supported at the center of gravity of the artillery, one person can operate it.Ever seen a seesaw?Aiming is not too difficult.

In the 16s, Peng Xingu, a guerrilla general of the Ming Dynasty, invented the anti-recoil device for artillery, which used soft frames, wooden blocks and large ropes to suppress the recoil of artillery, and solved the technical problem of cannons on small boats. Firepower has been improved.

Matthew doesn't know the history of this, but this stuff isn't much technically difficult, so there's something like that.

In fact, the weight of the cannon itself can also be used to suppress the recoil. In order to 100% avoid bombing, the blacksmith spared no effort to use a lot of materials.Compared with the thick and bizarre wall thickness, the caliber actually belongs to the small gun level.

Usually [-] to [-] mm is the common caliber of small Francophones.However, because of Matthew's perverted order of multiples of inches, the blacksmith thought that one inch was too small, so let's make two inches.

After a few shots, Matthew immediately discovered the problem—the gun was still too heavy.The target is moving.Too heavy and you can't aim quickly.When igniting and launching... aiming at a fart alone?

I don't know how the artillery fixed on the bow and stern of the ship in units of tons was aimed at in history.Is it used to scare people?
Matthew immediately remedied: "Two people operate a cannon, one just aims and the other just fires."

After the speed is up, four people are enough for the sail.Nearly half of the people were holding the cannons in other directions and staring blankly.Only a few people at the stern were enjoying themselves.Even the man in black was there, this guy... actually grabbed the cannon position?

The man in black yelled, "Quick, quick, reload!"

The sailor who was replaced by him had a look of resentment. Each cannon had only 10 barrels, so it couldn't be pretended.

Matthew immediately deployed: "Send the other tubes to use first."

10 guns, 100 sub-barrels, and two guns for the stern means that 100 rounds can be fired in a row.6 rounds per minute, the firepower is not bad.

A first officer shouted: "Nothing to do, all go to reload! Watch out for the torches!"

Another first officer was manipulating the rudder back and forth to fine-tune the steering, as the pirates behind were also firing from unknown guns.But it was obviously not a Francophone, and I don't know where the shells flew. After two rings, there was no movement.

Matthew's method worked immediately, and the pirate ship took two hits in quick succession, and then things changed—they started turning left.

This is to run?

The pirate captain who had been watching immediately yelled: "Full left rudder! Watch out for the sails!"

The first officer also immediately shouted: "Prepare for shelling on the port side."

Just halfway through the turn, the pirate ship behind actually turned back to the right.

Matthew, who was watching, suddenly didn't understand: "?"

However, the pirate captain immediately shouted: "Full starboard! Adjust the sails! Hurry up! Keep up the speed!"

The first officer also immediately shouted: "Starboard bombardment preparation."

Matthew observed with great interest that the coordination of these people was quite tight. The captain commanded the sailing, the first mate controlled the rudder, one commanded the shelling, and the other was on the mast. It is also important to estimate the position.

After two cannons, there are not enough manpower, and the sailors in the midship can only run back and forth on both sides.No one in the bow.

"Irene, you go in first... Everyone, we must use everyone's strength."

The shipwrights immediately helped without saying a word, but Matthew was in the same group as the accountant.

The bombardment mate glanced at Matthew in surprise. The baron is also on the gun?

There are only 15 sailors, 4 two masts, and one lookout.After one cannon for two people, five cannons for 10 people.There is no need for the bow, except for the two doors at the stern, don't everyone else have to run on both sides?

What happened next surprised Matthew.The two boats just kept twisting and turning on the sea.

After a while, Matthew understood.

The pirates seem to know artillery, and know that the side fire is the strongest.I want to point the broadside at the little donkey.

The pirate captain knew better and kept adjusting, never giving him a chance.Pirates can't use firepower, and they don't want donkeys to use firepower.But the Francophone at the rear is fine.So they have been passively beaten.

Isn't it just drawing S in the end?

After everyone went to the top, apart from reloading, everyone waited patiently for the opportunity.The hull changes direction, the shooting angle changes constantly, and the midship gun position can occasionally fire a shot.

For a while, only the sound of rumbling guns echoed over the English Channel. It didn't take long for the two ships to chase and enter the main route, scaring some passer-by merchant ships to turn around and run away.

Grapeshots were flying all over the sky.

Because the bombardment officer ordered that "slugs" are not allowed, once the opponent is sunk, it will be a big loss.

Matthew had a weird face, wondering if a 2-inch cannon could sink a brig?

In fact, there is such a little probability.There is no "health bar" for anything.On the contrary, the deadly part is real.

It was already dark, but under the light of the stars and the moon, the vision was not bad, because the white canvas was quite eye-catching under the moonlight.

Matthew's thoughts diverged suddenly... Could it be possible to consider using black sails?
What he didn't know was that this would be the most advanced naval battle of the era.The battle was studied for several years by other captains and shipwrights.But the scope is limited to this.In the era of information occlusion, it is not easy even if you want to spread the word out.

The boarding battle is still the mainstream in Europe.It was not until the Spaniards came to deliver food that European countries were completely awakened.

The Type S twists and turns in the sea, it sounds fast, but it's really slow.This also means that once the operation goes wrong, it will not be easy to recover.

The pirates actually turned to flee the first time they turned.But riding a tiger is difficult, and I can't run even if I want to.

The speed is not as fast as the front, and the opponent deliberately maintains the distance and speed heading, obviously an old hand.The firepower could not be used at all, no one dared to stay on the deck, and they all hid in blind spots.Under the falling rain, many corpses had already been laid.The bow guns were already dead.

There are holes all over the boat.The pirates don't understand, when can grape bullets penetrate the ship's plank?If I had known it was so powerful, I would have bought Francophones back then.

Suddenly, a pirate chopped off his boss with a single knife, and shouted: "Surrender... Lower the sails! Lower the sails! Hurry up."

Heads rolled on the deck, and all the pirates' brains were running fast~ Is there any chance to win?

Then without a word, it was executed immediately.

The captain is illiterate...a first mate wrote the logbook: On May 1510, 5, in the English Channel, our ship defeated a pirate ship.Capture enemy ships.

The little donkey didn't even shed a single hair.This little naval battle seemed to be pursued by pirates throughout the entire process.

Until the voluntary surrender, this situation has not changed.Because the pirates know that turning around and running is just a pointless struggle, why bother?
If you want to turn around and run, you must be able to get rid of the distance is the best solution.But that requires major mistakes on the other side.

The purpose is to avoid being fired from the other side's side~ They don't know what kind of guns are on the side of the little donkey.In case of heavy artillery... No one thinks they can hide from such a close distance.

As long as the opponent makes a mistake, he can get rid of it.

So the pirates have been biding their time.As long as the opponent's sails are not adjusted in time, as long as the steering is not in place in time, the speed and course will suffer great losses and deviations.That's their chance.

Unfortunately, the opportunity never came.

In this way, all the tactical maneuvers of both sides were perfect, and the pirates only lost in the equipment.

However, getting rid of is only one aspect, and after getting rid of it, it is necessary to ensure that the opponent cannot catch up.

If the speed is similar, they may try their best to escape.But when I saw that the opposite side actually retracted a sail to slow down to maintain the distance.Surrender was the only option left for the pirates.

The chief mate on the mast is the hero, and the most specific operation of the sail is done and directed by him.

In many sailing and naval battle movies, many battles actually cannot stand scrutiny.It is also a rare case for two warships to face each other face to face, usually just for the good-looking movie picture.

Chasing each other to find opportunities is the normal state of naval warfare in the age of sailing.Those in front are not necessarily running away, and those behind are not necessarily chasing.

Someone may ask, how about slowing down or stopping the ship?
No way, didn't you see that the little donkeys have all sailed?Stopping is not enough, and the time to speed up is extremely long, enough for the opponent to circle around him, not only losing the initiative but also falling into extreme passivity.Sailing boats don't have gas pedals and brakes.

Naval warfare is mobile warfare, mobile warfare, and dynamic warfare.

How did the Spanish Armada fail?Those who were flying a kite with their mobility, and after taking advantage of the range advantage of England's advanced artillery, were blown away. The battle was not a day, but a long period of chasing each other.

How long is this time?
The battle started in the English Channel and gradually expanded to the North Sea, the coast of France, and even the ocean near Ireland.It can be said to be all over the coast of Western Europe.

In the later period, many Spaniards were starved to death, yes, they were "starved to death".Think about it, in a big battle, someone was starved to death on the ship.How long has this been a chase?

The party that lost the initiative couldn't even find a place to resupply.

A dozen or so pirates squatted in a row on the deck.

The pirate captain smiled and said, "Which one of you is the sailor?"

Several raised their hands.

The pirate captain laughed and said, "Anyway, you guys did a good job, come...give them a glass of beer."

Matthew smiled slightly, this captain knows how to recruit and surrender, which saved him a lot of effort.

The pirate ship is nothing to look at, it is riddled with holes.Then he was surprised to find that the other party actually had a Francophone, but it was made of copper, but they never fired it once~ They placed it on the side, and it was too light, probably only 150 kilograms.That means no range or power.

The reason for this arrangement is also very simple, these pirates have never seen a few ships that run faster than them.He thought that as long as they were given a chance to get close, these small cannons would be able to sweep everything on the little donkey's deck.

Pirates never liked sinking their opponents.

In many cases, merchant ships will voluntarily surrender when they see that they cannot escape.Pirates will also give them a way out.Even only part of the property was taken away, sometimes not even the goods.

It is said that a businessman was robbed by pirates, but the pirates saw that he was too poor, so they gave him some gold coins and told him to make money.

Anyone find it magical?
Matthew counted, and there were actually 18 of these Frang machine bronze cannons.

The man in black laughed loudly: "Matthew, we have made a fortune... These copper cannons are very valuable, and there are so many... It must not be an unknown person... There should be a lot of gold coins."

Everyone was in high spirits, even Irene was beaming.

Matthew thought about it.

A first mate returned with some sailors.

"My lord, we have found some gold coins. About £500."

Matthew glanced at him, and then said: "No matter how much, I will take half, and everyone else will share the rest equally."

Everyone was startled, and then their mouths opened involuntarily.A business trip actually made a fortune?

A sailor shouted: "Long live the Baron!" Everyone echoed.Everyone was beaming.

The first officer smiled and said, "27 people...how many is this? Let me count first..."

Matthew: "No, I'm talking about everyone...including a few of them."

What?Everyone was dumbfounded.The pirate captain's expression changed, his thoughts changed a few times, and he suddenly felt ashamed.

The pirates squatting on the deck looked at each other in blank dismay. The penny actually included captives?When did this rule come into being?Then I suddenly felt that...it was really wise for me to choose to surrender.

After the first mate finished counting, he would calculate and say, "Matthew, exactly 6 gold coins per person."

Suddenly there was joy, and some people threw their hats away.They all thought it was so easy to make a fortune following this generous Baron Scilly.

Matthew thought to himself, I'm just generous with the generosity of others, this boat is the big one.

He thought back on today's naval battle, and it seemed necessary to study it again...

Heavy artillery!

Cast iron costs about 2p a catty, and retails for 5p.This price is determined by the market and is not important.

So Matthew's cast iron costs about 16 gold pieces per ton.A 3-ton heavy cannon costs about 50 gold coins for the iron alone, and it also costs to make it into a cannon.One cannon is equivalent to half a small donkey.

It can be said that it is as expensive as grandma's house.

However, this is the norm in the age of great voyages.

According to records, until the 17th century, the lack of artillery has always been a common problem in the navies of various countries.Everyone is poor.

Otherwise, why is Matthew hoarding iron ore like crazy?
至于铜，跟铁相比，其实比现代便宜多了。也就比铁贵9倍出头。每吨150个金币上下。所以海盗船的佛郎机铜炮光是铜就值400个金币。还有4门800公斤重的艏艉炮。又是480。

This is nearly 900 gold coins.

This ship is the least valuable.

Pirates are indeed a very lucrative profession.

Matthew didn't understand naval battles any more, and he also understood that the reason why this happened today was entirely because of the deterrent power of the heavy side guns.It can scare people even when it's not there.

The little donkey is a boat in Matthew's eyes.But don't forget, not many people in this era think this tonnage is small.

Heavy artillery is too important.

According to Matthew's vision, 30 3-ton heavy guns are 90 tons.The materials alone cost nearly 1500 gold coins. 36 light guns, 18 tons.Nearly 300 gold coins.A total of 1800 gold coins.This is just a cost, there must be a profit, right?Homemade cannon, discounted price, 2500 gold coins is not an exaggeration, right?
In comparison, shipbuilding is much cheaper, just wood materials. 3000 gold coins will definitely not lose money.

The problem is the Franc machine.Matthew found out after actual combat.Thick and heavy can prevent the chamber from exploding, and increase the range and power of the chamber pressure.But it is also too heavy, which is not conducive to sailors operating for a long time.It must be improved, at least cut in half.

Hmm, it's not practical for one person to operate it, so two people are needed.

If the test is successful, it can be squeezed, and the square stern should be able to accommodate two doors on each side.Matthew always believed that the little donkey was a trading ship.In the future, the probability of escaping in the front must be extremely high, and there are many stern guns, which must be easy to use.

However, he thought beautifully.

In a few years, this kind of ship was scolded by some customers as an ass because it only had two bow guns.

Because those who chase the little donkey are often also the little donkey.

(End of this chapter)